Gleeful RENT
by Cassicio
Summary: It's the revival of RENT on Broadway, and the cast is Glee-ified. Very AU. Abusive Finn, Finn!bashing, St. Berry friendship, eventual Faberry, Brittana and St. Hummel.
1. Chapter 1

**For those of you reading my other fic **_**Changed Directions**_**, I know that I shouldn't start a new fic, but… This was an idea of mine since forEVER. Seriously. I planned this like… A year ago. I finally got the guts and to start it, and I have to get feedback before I can continue.**

**A/N 1: This is basically AU, with almost all of them growing up separately. You'll probably notice that at least a couple of the characters mirror the actors that play them.**

**A/N 2: I do not own Glee. If I did… Well… There would be a lot of changes probably, and due to EXTREME amounts of gay content, it'd probably only be accepted by LOGOtv. I also do not own RENT, or Spring Awakening, or In The Heights, or Broadway, etc.**

**Character Pairings: Past Finchel (ew), Eventual Faberry, Brittana and either Sam-Kurt, Purt or St. Hummel (please help me decide?) I dunno if there'll be Asian Fusion or Artie-Tina. **

**A/N 3: The director of the show is completely my own creation and has no connection to the actual director of Spring Awakening or any other Broadway production.**

**Wow this Author's Note got long… On with the fic!**

…

Rachel Berry took a deep breath as she stepped inside the nearly empty theater. She was early, wanting to take in the space and draw the calmness in. It was a ritual she'd begun since being cast in her first Broadway production.

Crossing to the center of the stage that was under construction, she glanced at the wood, metal and electronics that would soon make up her character's home.

"Should be a beauty once it's set up properly."

Whirling towards the voice, Rachel relaxed, seeing the musical director crossing up onto the stage.

"I never thought I'd get a chance to perform this once I'd heard it had left Broadway. This revival, and the fact that I'm a part of it-" she paused. "I just needed a moment to take it in, Erik.

Erik grinned, shaking dirty blond bangs out of his lively green-eyes. "As if I'd leave _you _out of a production of mine. You invented a character that helped raise my first original show to the top. Spring Awakening would've flopped without your six _years_ of devotion."

The singer ducked her head shyly at the praise. "Jesse pulled us through too."

He nodded. "True, which is part of why he's Rodger; The rest having to do with his obvious talent of course."

Glancing up in shock, Rachel squealed, pulling Erik into a bone crushing hug. Pulling away just as fast, the brunette proceeded to pace the front of the stage, gesturing erratically with her hands. "How could he not tell me about this! Of course, I didn't tell him either; but still! We're best friends!" Realizing she was ranting to herself, Rachel turned back to her director and friend sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Chuckling, the man slung an arm around the singer's shoulders casually. "It's quite alright, Rach." Checking his watch, he began leading her towards the meeting room. "Ready to meet your cast mates and begin the read through?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, leading to a smile and head shake from her companion. "Right, stupid question. Rachel Berry is never unprepared." He walked through the door ahead of her.

Stepping into the room, Rachel froze. "F-Finn?"

The tall man's head whipped around at the familiar voice calling his name. Catching sight of Rachel, a smile bloomed on Finn's face. Rachel returned the smile timidly, raising her hand to give a half-hearted wave. Spotting the band wrapped around her wrist, Finn's smile quickly morphed into a pouty scowl, causing Rachel to wince. She dropped the arm to her side, placing a hand over the rainbow bracelet.

An arm suddenly wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground and whirling her around. Her shriek caused the arm's owner to laugh. "Jesse Michael St. James! Put me down this instant!" Jesse complied, only to have Rachel spin to face him and sock him in the shoulder.

"OW!" He yelped, grabbing the bruising bicep. "Careful love, you're stronger than your tiny body gives you credit for."

Huffing at the dig at her height, Rachel crossed her arms. "_That_ was for neglecting to inform me that you were trying out; and _then _neglecting to tell me you got in!"

"Road goes both ways, hon. I don't remember any phone calls bout you becoming Ms. Maureen."

Scrunching up her nose at the truth behind Jesse's statement, she sighed and nodded. "I suppose that is true." She smirked. "Who's your stage lover this time? As your best friend and former stage lover, it is my job to inspect her."

"Santana Lopez."

"From 'In the Heights'?"

"Yepp."

"Interesting. Anyone cast that we know?"

"Brittany Pierce is our choreographer and dance captain once again, not to mention your and your lover's understudy. Tina Cohen-Chang is in this too."

Rachel smiled at the mention of her Spring Awakening cast mate; a frown took its place with her next question. "Who's Finn playing?"

Jesse grinned. "Benny." Laughter erupted from the small diva. "I know, isn't it perfect? The animosity will certainly be palpable. Plus the character suits him." His eyes darkened in anger as he glanced at the man in question.

Placing a hand on her tense friend's wrist, Rachel smiled tiredly. "I kinda deserved what happened, Jesse."

He pulled the woman into a tight hug, whispering fiercely into her ear. "In no way did you deserve what that asshole did, Rachel. You were being honest and it was the best for both of you. He just had to go and be a complete bastard."

Rachel pulled away, quickly wiping a single tear away. "I should be over this, ya know? It was _years_ ago."

"When your boyfriend destroys your living room and throws a plate at you, consequently breaking your wrist, all the while calling you a slutty dyke, I think you have reason to still be upset."

"I had just broken up with him and told him I was gay."

"That's no excuse! He _hurt _you! Not to mention all the times he cheated on you beforehand."

Rachel's eyes lowered to stare at the floor, memories creeping up on her. Jesse grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his concerned gaze. "You gotta realize that you're worth so much more than him, Rach." Seeing the barest of nods from the woman, he pulled her into another tight hug.

…..

**So… I guess first of all I should get this across:**

**I. Hate. Finn. Hudson. HATE HIM. So there'll probably be a ton of Finn bashing in this fic, as you see.**

**St. Berry friendship kinda makes my life. You'll be introduced to the rest of the cast in the next chappie I believe but I'll post it here so far.**

**Maureen – Rachel Berry**

**Rodger – Jesse St. James**

**Mimi – Santana Lopez**

**Benny – Finn Hudson**

**U/S (under study) Maureen and Joanne/ Dance Captain/ Choreographer – Brittany Pierce**

**So… What do you think? Worth continuing? Please Review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I think I got more story alerts and favs from the first chapter of this fic than I did with **_**Changed Directions**_** though I did get less reviews… Hmm….**

**Anyways, I should probably state this first: I probably will not be updating this fic as quickly as I have this time, just because I'm a high school student in search of a job and working with a theater company on a couple productions at the same time. However, I will update as often as possible.**

**Author's Note 1: I don't own Glee or Spring Awakening or Julliard or NYU, Tisch, etc.**

**Author's Note 2: Restating this, I. Hate. Finn. Hudson. You may too after this chapter, if you don't already.**

**Hope you like!**

…..

**4 Years Earlier**

Rachel met her eyes in the mirror; searching for a hint of doubt in the chocolate brown reflection. She found none, only guilt and determination. Deep seated fear showed as well, but she had learned to ignore and hide it, even from herself.

Deep breaths flowed in and out of her lungs as she nervously listened for the loud clomps of her three year boyfriend. She refused to close her eyes, afraid of the images that would play behind the lids.

Cracked ribs, bruises, scars and blood; threats, insults and venom; fists, kicks and punches. The brunette's breath quickened as the memories engulfed her.

…

_They'd met sophomore year. Rachel was attending Julliard part time as well as performing for Spring Awakening. He was at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. A spilled coffee and apologies lead to friendly outings, and he asked her out a month later. He was sweet, though somewhat dim, and she couldn't refuse him; convincing herself that love would grow with time._

_A year passed by and her feelings had not grown beyond friendly. At the same time, Spring Awakening's popularity _was _growing, and her boyfriend was finally coming to see it. A slight worry over her sex scene with Jesse had been absolved when she explained that the man had a boyfriend. "It's only acting, Finn." The performance went off without a hitch and the cast decided to go for drinks to celebrate._

_Feeling a large hand engulf her wrist a little tighter than was comfortable, she turned quickly to see a thin-lipped Finn. "Babe, I was thinkin' we should go back to your place instead." He locked eyes with her, causing the hairs to rise on the back of her neck._

"_O-okay." She nodded reluctantly, taken aback by the tremor in her voice. That was the first warning. The next was a silent and tension filled car ride, and finally a red faced Finn screaming at her about the 'slutty' performance. These all lead up to the backhand sending her stumbling into the wall._

He'd cried and pleaded for forgiveness, and she forgave him. Even when it kept happening, she forgave him. Now, two years of make-up and feigned clumsiness had finally broken through Rachel's denial and forgiveness; as had a little push towards realization in the form of a girl named Aphasia, whom she'd met at a bar about two months ago. The woman had helped give her the strength to say goodbye to Finn Hudson for the last time.

The actress couldn't suppress a shudder as she heard the boom of huge feet crossing towards her door, and she jumped as the door was hammered on. Slipping her face into an emotionless mask, she quietly opened the door and was met with a dopey smile.

"Hey, babe." She winced at the 'term of endearment'.

"Hello, Finn. We need to talk." He frowned. "Please sit down." Ignoring the request, he leaned back against the door, causing the girl to wince again, as her only escape route was blocked. "I-. Finn, I liked you a lot… when we first met. You were a great friend; but, I never fell for you and I think it'd be best if we- if we broke up. Also, after the… _unhealthiness_ of the relationship we've had the last two of these three years, I think it would be best if we were not to see each other again unless absolutely necessary." The door's lock clicked and Finn crossed towards her menacingly.

"Who is he? There's some guy isn't there? I knew you were slutting it up behind my back, you bitch. So who is he?"

"There is no guy Finn."

He changed tactics in a flash, changing from angry to hurt. "Then… If there isn't a guy, isn't there anything I can do to fix this? Have I done something wrong? Babe, we belong together."

She stopped him with a raised hand. "That, that right there; you calling me 'babe.' Babe isn't my name, Finn. My name is Rachel. You haven't called me Rachel since you saw my performance." She slowly placed the couch in between them, knowing that the next words would cause a massive blow-up. "Besides… I- I've always thought I was bi, Finn; but, I'm not. I'm gay, and there won't be anymore guys, I-" She was cut off by the crash of an end table smashing into a wall.

"YOU BITCH!" Pictures were thrown off the wall as a fist connected to it, causing shattered glass to litter the floor. "You slutty DYKE, you've been stringing me along this entire time _haven't you_!" She backed through the open door into the kitchen area, whimpering as he followed her, trashing everything in reach.

"N-no, Finn! You know I wouldn't do that."

He laughed manically. "Sure, _babe_." A plate by the sink was suddenly chucked at her face, and smashed into the wrist raised to protect it; shattering both plate and bone, drawing a scream of pain from the girl.

The front door crashed open, and Rachel sunk to the ground in tears, thanking every deity she could think of for Jesse having a key. Her best friend tackled Finn, effectively pinning him to the ground. "I suggest you leave _now_, Hudson, before I call the cops." He jumped off the man and crossed to Rachel's side. Rising with a roar, Finn stomped towards the two. Jesse stood quickly, drawing a switchblade out of his pocket. "I grew up in the Bronx, Hudson; don't think I'll have any qualms carving 'woman basher' into your chest."

Finn looked passed Jesse, face angry and sad. "Why did you have to do this, Rachel? Why'd you have to choose to be a dyke, and break my heart? Just- just stay the fuck away from me." He ran out of the apartment.

Jesse quickly turned around and gathered his best friend into his arms, whispering soothingly into her ear. As the tears slowed, he pulled away. Rachel cried out as her broken wrist bumped into his arm. Examining the injury, he frowned. "I should've gotten here sooner, Rach. I'm sorry."

"N-no. You saved me, Jesse, that's all I could ask for." She gave him a watery smile.

"Well I should at least call the cops on that bastard." He reached for his phone.

"NO!" He halted at the yell, turning back to the, now panic stricken, woman. "I mean; I just don't want to worry about this anymore. Finn's gone and I want to just move on."

"But hon-"

"Please, Jesse."

He sighed. "Okay, sweetie, but at least let me take you to have that wrist checked out."

"Okay."

…..

**Present Day**

She'd never told Jesse about the other beatings. Only Aphasia, her first girlfriend, had ever known about them. Rachel and the dancer had mutually decided to break up when Aphasia had to leave for a world tour with Lady Gaga; but still kept in contact, and remained good friends.

…..

**I know it's short, please don't kill me. Also, please don't kill me for hurting Rach, I hate hurting Rachel, but it was necessary. Plus I need to jack up the Finn hating a bit, cause he deserves it.**

**Badass Bronx-born Jesse just kinda came to me and I had to roll with it; and now I absolutely love it! Hope you do too.**

**More to come soon! But first I have to figure out where I'm goin' with my other fic **_**Changed Directions**_**.**

**Please Review, cause reviews make my life, and make me update faster and are so fun to read and reply to!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey… So… I got a few requests lately to continue this, which boosted me to finish this chapter. I wanna thank all the reviewers and people who kicked my ass into gear about this. I can't promise another update VERY soon, but I will try my best.**

**A/N 1: Don't own Glee, don't own the characters, don't own the actors, don't own RENT, etc etc etc.**

**A/N 2: Don't have a Beta, all mistakes are my own.**

…

"Rachel?" A pair of fingers snapped in her face.

"Huh?"

"Where'd you go, hon? I haven't seen that look in your eyes in over a year."

Jesse was worried. After the Finn incident, Rachel had shut down; staying shut up in her apartment while her wrist healed. Even when she was allowed to rehearse and perform again, she was silent unless on stage.

He'd worked painstakingly to break through the box she'd built around herself. Bit by bit, the old Rachel Berry began to emerge, but Jesse was the only on that she ever bared her soul to completely anymore. He was ready to kill the man who'd destroyed his best friend's trust and openness; and here Finn was, bringing back memories it had taken over a year to eradicate, and Jesse could do nothing.

"Sorry, Jesse." He could tell she knew what he was thinking.

Shaking his head, he pulled her into another hug, placing a kiss on top of her head. "Nothing to apologize for, Rach." Slinging an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her towards the table; picking seats as far from the giant man-child as possible. "Shall we meet our cast mates and get this show on the road?"

She smiled.

Erik walked in, clapping his hands together to gain attention. "Alright, everybody take a seat, and we'll get this shindig started." Catching the eye of Tina Cohen-Chang, who had entered the room behind Erik, Rachel gestured to the seat beside her. The Asian woman smiled, crossing quickly to her friend, who stood and hugged her tightly before sitting again.

"Okay everyone-"

Erik was cut off by a crash, as two people stumbled through the door.

"Sorry we're late! Someone took three hours in the shower this morning." Said a blonde, sending a glare towards her Latina companion; the darker girl simply shrugged.

"It takes time to look as good as I do, Q."

'Q' simply rolled her eyes.

"Santana, Quinn. Take a seat, ladies, you're just in time." The two women nodded and pulled up chairs; Quinn next to Finn and Santana on her left. "Okay, everyone, now that we're all here, how about we introduce ourselves. Name, role, hometown, hobbies. I'll start. Hey, my name is Erik Layton, I am your director for this production of Jonathan Larson's musical rock opera RENT. I was born in Madison, Wisconsin and my hobbies include writing, soccer and reading fantasy novels." He gestured to a mow-hawk sporting man on his left. "You're up, Noah."

The man in question smirked. "I'm Noah Puckerman; call me Puck. I am playing the role of Tom Collins. I was born in Dallas, Texas and my hobbies include partying, playing the guitar and sex. Lots of sex. I ain't picky about the genitalia of the person either."

Next to him was a tall blonde with piercing blue eyes. She smiled brightly and gave a half wave. "Hi there, I'm Brittany S. Pierce, not to be confused with Britney Spears. I was born in Thousand Oaks, Cali; I'm playing Alexi Darling, in the ensemble, a Life Support member and your Dance Captain. My hobbies are dancing, motocross and stopping my cat, Lord Tubbington, from reading my diary."

"I'm Jesse St. James and I was born in The Bronx. I will be playing Rodger Davis. I love singing, acting, reading and kickboxing." He pointed to Rachel. "And this is my best friend."

Rachel smiled. "Hi, I'm Rachel Berry. I was also born in The Bronx and I'm playing Maureen Johnson. I enjoy cooking, hanging with friends, listening to music and reading." She smirked. "Oh, and kicking Jesse's butt in kickboxing." Jesse used the hand on her chair to ruffle her hair. She smacked the offending limb away with a chuckle.

Tina smiled at the two friends before turning back to the group. "I'm Tina Cohen-Chang. I am playing Mrs. Cohen, a Life Support Member and ensemble. I grew up in East Meadow, New York and like reading, designing jewelry and creating independent films."

"I'm Mercedes Jones, I was born in LA and I am playing The Homeless Woman, Mrs. Jefferson and ensemble. I like hosting parties, karaoke and being stylish."

"Kurt Hummel, born in Colvis, California. Playing Angel Dumott Schunard. Love performing, musicals and designer clothes."

"I'm Blaine Anderson. I was born in San Fran and am playing Mark Cohen. I enjoy singing, The Gap and football."

"Mike Chang; born in Puerto Limón, Costa Rica. I'm The Squeegee Man and Dance Assistant. I love dance and Asian culture."

They'd reached the Latina, who leaned back in her seat with a smirk. "The name is Santana Lopez. I'm from Valencia, Santa Clarita, California. Mimi Marquez is who I'm playing. I enjoy clubbing, dancing and sexin' up the ladies. Don't even think about asking to see me get my mack on with anyone Puckerman; it ain't happening." Puck scowled with a slight pout.

Santana's blonde companion smiled shyly. "Hey. I'm Quinn Fabray. I was born in Savannah, Georgia and I'll be playing Joanne Jefferson." Rachel studied her new stage lover. She caught a slight southern twang in Quinn's words as she said the name of her birth-town and it sent a light shiver up her spine. "My hobbies are photography, reading and writing screen-plays."

"I'm Finn Hudson, I was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; but grew up in Lima, Ohio. I'm playing Benjamin Coffin the Third, also known as Benny. I like football and playing drums."

"I'm Sam Evans and I was born in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm playing The Waiter, Steve and ensemble. I love football, working out and spending time with my little bro and sis."

"My name is William Schuester. I grew up in Fort Ord, California. I'm playing Mr. Grey and ensemble. I like hair-gel, listening to Journey and rapping."

"Matt Rutherford, born in LA. I'm playing Mr. Jefferson, Paul and ensemble. I like football and dancing."

"Hello, I'm Emma Pillsbury. I am from Bristol, Tennessee and am performing as Mrs. Davis, a Life Support Member, and ensemble. I like cleaning and organizing. I also enjoy Rocky Horror."

"My name's Dave Karofsky. I'm playing The Man, Gordon and ensemble; born in Queens, New York. I like football, hockey and music."

"I'm Sunshine Corazon and I was born in Cabuyao, Laguna, in the Philippines. I'm playing Mrs. Marquez and ensemble. I love listening to music."

Erik stood up. "Here are your castmates for the next many months and possibly year or two. Now," he sat back down and pulled out a thick stack of paper. "let's start reading through and see how we mesh."

…

**So… What did you think? Most all of the birthplaces (except Jesse's) were taken from the actors who play the Glee characters.**

**Casting is as follows:**

**Rodger Davis – Jesse St. James**

**Mark Cohen – Blaine Anderson**

**Mimi Marquez – Santana Lopez**

**Maureen Johnson – Rachel Berry**

**Joanne Jefferson – Quinn Fabray**

**Benjamin "Benny" Coffin III – Finn Hudson**

**Tom Collins – Noah "Puck" Puckerman**

**Angel Dumott Schunard – Kurt Hummel**

**Mrs. Cohen – Tina Cohen-Chang**

**Mr. Grey – William Schuester**

**Mrs. Jefferson – Mercedes Jones**

**Mr. Jefferson – Matt Rutherford**

**Alexi Darling – Brittany S. Pierce**

**Paul (LS Leader) – Matt Rutherford**

**The Man – Dave Karofsky**

**Mrs. Marquez – Sunshine Corazon**

**Life Support Members – Tina Cohen-Chang (Ali), Brittany S. Pierce (Sue), Sam Evans (Steve), Emma Pillsbury (Pam), Dave Karofsky (Gordon)**

**Ensemble – William Schuester, Emma Pillsbury, Brittany S. Pierce, Sam Evans, Tina Cohen-Change, Mike Change, Matt Rutherford, Dave Karofsky, Sunshine Corazon, Mercedes Jones**

**Thoughts? Reviews? Hate? Love?**

**Please do Review!**


End file.
